Chaotic Christmas
by shizuyue
Summary: [shonen ai, oneshot] Axel x Roxas, Marluxia x Demyx. Holidays with the Organization XIII members are never boring. Perhaps, just the opposite.


Have you ever woken up one day and without any sort of hints or reasons, felt that it was not going to be a peaceful normal day? Well, one late morning, when one young blond with perpetual bed-hair tugged his blanket off his head and sat up to stare blankly at his white bedroom walls, he was suddenly struck with that feeling. A frown touched his youthful face as he pulled on his usual clothing and wondered what that was all about.

All but a second later, a lanky redhead charged into the room and slammed the door back into place with a decidedly psychotic grin on his angular face. The reason why such as expression on his face came in a moment, when an outraged roar from the corridor nearly shook the walls. The obviously very angered person proceeded to snarl out some of the most offensive insults that the blond had ever heard.

"Good morning, Roxy!!"

Roxas sighed, too accustomed to even want to try correcting Axel's way of addressing him, when the Number Eight was so obviously high on sugar or caffeine. Most likely sugar, judging by those overly bright green eyes. "What did you do to Saix now? I'm not going to protect you if he decides to come in here."

"You're no fun, Roxas." Axel pouted before he started cackling madly. "Besides, I don't think he wants to come in and show his new shiny nose to anyone yet."

"What did you do?" The youngest of the Nobodies raised an eyebrow before he asked again, and with a little hint of interest. "And are those bells that I hear in the corridor?"

"Ah that. It's not my doing, but you gotta admit that Demyx has style." Axel smirked gleefully. "He and Marluxia sew a bunch of small bells to the bottom of each and every one of Saix's coats. And stole everything else, except for his pink heart boxers!"

"Oh." Roxas blinked, trying to imagine a sight of Saix in said clothes but failing. "What about you?"

"I super-glued a red glowing Rudolph tag-on onto cross-faced's nose."

"Rudolph?"

"You know, the red-nosed reindeer?"

Roxas frowned. "No, I don't know any red-nosed reindeer."

"No?" Axel looked genuinely surprised. "Do you know what occasion it is today then?"

The Number Thirteen adopted a mock thinking pose with a finger and a thumb on each side of his chin. "Let me guess... official Organization pranking day?"

"No... it's Christmas!"

The blank look Roxas gave his best friend said everything that was to be said, and Axel frowned. "You don't know what's Christmas?"

"I think I heard about it... it's a town or something?"

"This is too sad. Yes, there's a town called Christmas Town, but it's named after a special day with is the birthday of some very special person that I don't know about." Axel paused for breath. "And today is that day."

Again, the one same blank look that should be patented to the blond made an appearance. "So?"

"So we celebrate it!" Axel exclaimed, sounding somewhat agitated. To Roxas, he looked as though he was going to throw his hands in the air. But the red-haired man chose to grab his wrist and stare straight into the sky-blue eyes. "I'll show you how. Come."

Not for the first time, Roxas was dragged into a portal by Axel without knowing the destination nor the reason. Surprise touched his features when he realized that the scenery they entered was very familiar.

It was Twilight Town, and right outside the mysterious mansion that was the very first sight he saw as the Nobody called Roxas.

"Meet me an hour later at the item store, will ya? And see if they sell some chestnuts and Yule log." When Axel encountered that all too familiar blank look, he sighed and elaborated. "It's a type of cake shaped like a log, and is eaten during Christmas. Got it memorized?"

Roxas sighed in exasperation. "I suppose you aren't going to tell me what they are for? And where you are going?"

"Yup! It's a S-E-C-R-E-T! Just trust me on this, okay?" Axel grinned as he disappeared back into the darkness portal, leaving Roxas standing there and feeling a little foolish.

But he did went searching for what Axel wanted, and manage to find them. He even had enough time left that he bought a sea-salt ice-cream and ate it as he toured the town. It was not the first time he was there, but he never really had the time to properly know the place that he was 'born' in.

When he went back to the item shop, a casually dressed Axel was already waiting there, chatting with the shopkeeper. His best friend practically broadcasted his excited anticipation upon spotting him, and started waving cheerfully. As he came close to the redhead, his nose picked up the scent of the sea, snow and a kitchen.

After bidding his conversation partner farewell, Axel led the way back to the mansion. "Got the stuff?"

"Yeah. For some reason, they are easy to get." Roxas glanced down at the box of cake he had been carrying around, along with a small bag of chestnuts. "You're still not going to tell me what they are for?"

"Well, you'll know it later." Axel grinned as he opened another portal.

A biting sense of coldness immediately greeted Roxas as he followed Axel through the portal, and he blinked quickly to adjust to the immaculate white that covered the place. "Where is this? Christmas Town?"

"Sadly, no. I don't think he'll like it if I'm there after stealing this." Axel motioned to the peculiar form of transportation that stood before the two of them, which consisted of a horse pulling a sleigh with a red bag on it. "I would have stolen the reindeers too, but it got a little too tricky. Horses are easy to get here, in the Land of Dragons."

Gazing around, the young blond spotted the military camp covered with snow. "We are on the mountains then?"

"Yeah, but we are going up higher, where we won't be disturbed." Producing two sets of scarf, down jacket and gloves from the bag, he handed the pale blue ones over to Roxas and put the burgundy set on himself. "Ready when you are, Roxas."

Not wanting to expose himself to the chill any longer, he quickly wrapped himself up. He was secretly touched by how Axel went through the trouble to get those items of warmth for him, as the resident Organization pyromaniac need not have bothered, being able to change temperature for himself even though he did not like to.

"So we are having a picnic in this climate even though it's not Christmas Town?" Roxas asked as the horse drove them on towards higher and colder lands. "I thought you hate being cold?"

"I do." Axel answered simply. "But it just ain't Christmas when there's no snow. It's best when it's white, ya know?"

Feeling a little frustrated at not knowing the significance of Christmas being white, Roxas did not answer and pressed closer against Axel's warm back, surprising the older youth. "Hey, you okay back there?"

"Just a little cold."

"Bear with it, we're almost reaching there." Axel's tone was like that of an older brother, caring and warm, and Roxas felt a spot in his chest ache with unknown emotions. "There. See the tree?"

Roxas did, in fact, see the tree. Not very tall, but decorated with fairy lights, gleaming bells and and a glowing star at the top. And the fire. A big one some distance away from the tree, cackling merrily. And the two other person sitting nearby on a ground sheet. Kissing.

"Gah, they are at it again." Spikey red hair fluttered against the wind as Axel smack his palm against his forehead. "Break it up, you guys, we'll never get started if you keep doing that."

Deliberately, the pink-haired Number Eleven continued for a little while longer, much to Axel's exasperation, before he let go of a very flushed and out-of-breath Demyx. "My, are you just jealous that you're not getting any?"

"From you? No, not in another hundred years." Axel returned easily as he grabbed the bag with one hand, and took Roxas's hand in another. "Where did you guys manage to find in the kitchen after I left?"

"A figgy pudding and a chocolate cake stolen fresh from oven and best of all, a nice roast turkey. We nearly didn't make it out of there alive with just these, so we had to find another kitchen to raid. Come, look at the spread. And hand over the rum you got from Port Royal, Axel. And toss the chestnuts into the fire."

Roxas had never seen a meal with so many well-prepared dishes, and the delicious aroma tickling his nose ventured further to prompt an embarrassing sound from his stomach. His wish that the others did not hear it went unheard, for he glanced up to find three amused faces looking at him.

"What are we waiting for then? Axel forbade us to eat any of these until you two came, so my stomach's been doing that for the past half and hour." Demyx tugged Roxas down to sit beside him, and began placing generous servings of food onto the plate before youngest Nobody and himself.

Taking the bottles of rum from Axel, Marluxia's lips drew a graceful but sardonic curve. "You weren't complaining earlier."

Eating quietly (one can't really talk with his mouth full) and watching the scene (Demyx sputtering and choking) that was so _normal_ that it was like a dream, Roxas's attention was suddenly drawn by Axel, who chuckled as he took out the last item in his scarlet bag.

"Another Christmas tradition, Roxas," Axel grinned, as he put the mistletoe on the confused young blond's head, "is when two person meet under a mistletoe, they kiss."

It was then, Roxas understood it all. And broke into a rare genuine smile as he leaned towards Axel, gently brushing his lips against the redhead's.

"Merry Christmas, Axel."

And they kissed again, under the precariously perched mistletoe.


End file.
